


A Recipe for a Chaotic Freshman Year

by 17carat615



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Drama, Han Jisung | Han is Oblivious, Han Jisung | Han is Whipped, Hwang Hyunjin Being an Asshole, Jealous Han Jisung | Han, Jealous Hwang Hyunjin, Jealousy, Lee Minho | Lee Know is a Sweetheart, Lots of drama, Love Triangles, M/M, Misconceptions, My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Chan, Unrequited Love, drama-llama hyunjin, failed to make it funny haha, jeongin is chan's adopted brother, jeonglix stans rise, these tags are all over the place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2020-09-06 12:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20291569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/17carat615/pseuds/17carat615
Summary: Only in his freshman year of college, Yang Jeongin is already surrounded by an abundance of problems.To name a few:-Having a secret admirer competing for his love-Fighting with an overprotective brother-Having a constantly nosy (and sadistic) best friend in search of drama-Dealing with an emotionally constipated lovestruck idiot-Also dealing with a heartbroken hyung-ALSO dealing with a one-sided affection that he's the center of-To top it off, having an old highschool crush reappear in his life-Wait, is that final exams I see coming up?!ORJeongin spends his days at JYP university helping his friends through relationship problems, clearing up a few misconceptions, and returning a lost love he never thought was possible (while struggling to pass all of his classes).





	1. Autumn (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just the context for the main story. If it doesn't make sense, I paraphrased it at the end of the chapter. Kind of important, so you should read this chapter before moving on.
> 
> Note that everyone is in college:  
Jeongin - freshman  
Seungmin - freshman  
Felix - sophomore  
Jisung - sophomore  
Hyunjin - sophomore  
Changbin - junior  
Minho - junior  
Chan - senior  
Woojin - senior

_“Even if days pass and seasons change, you’re the only one deep in my heart. No one, nothing can take you away.” Always – Wanna One_

**Felix**

More than anyone else, Felix loved Jeongin.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, Felix would always find himself drawn to Jeongin’s bright smile. No matter how desolate a situation was, such as his pet goldfish dying, Jeongin continued to smile. Felix liked to think it was because of him.

-

_They met in middle school, Jeongin as a 7th grader, Felix as an 8th grader._

_“Remember how I told you that my family wanted to adopt?” Chan had brought up during one of their summer phone calls after he shared the link of a nursery adoption website. What a goody-two-shoes. _

_Felix hummed to show he was listening. There was a pause on the line for dramatic effect. _

_ "__They decided to adopt a few days ago!” Chan finally exclaimed. Felix knew the Bang family had wanted to adopt for a while now. Chan always joked about how they were trying to replace him. From all of the constant updates on their family, he wasn’t too shocked by this news but since Chan had seemed so excited, he at least attempted to act surprised._

_“Congratulations!” he tried, as enthusiastically as possible. Chan seemed to notice the forced reaction from his voice and chuckled. _

_“You’ll have to wait to meet him, though. He’s still getting used to everything here. Maybe when school starts we can walk home together?”_

_“Sounds like a plan,” Felix agreed, not sure what else to say. Chan kept rambling on about how busy they were, buying clothes, bedding and other supplies for the new family member.__  
“I can’t wait to see your _real_reaction!” he added slyly, as if he knew some interesting secret. Felix had scoffed at that then, but little did he know that a cute angel would take his heart away from their very first meeting._

_-_

_Felix’s relationship with Jeongin continued to sail smoothly, until his sophomore year of high school, when “it”_ _happened. Jeongin was secretive enough that no one had known about the class bullies he attracted._

_Felix was waiting for him after school when he noticed forty-five minutes had already passed since the school bell rang. Just when he was about to text him, Jeongin walked up, swollen bruise on his cheek, dirtied clothes, and tears in his eyes. He dragged his tattered bag on the ground behind him._

_Shocked, Felix immediately dropped everything and rushed to his side, examining him from every angle to make sure nothing looked broken. His hands awkwardly floated in the air, not wanting to hurt the fragile boy any more. _

_“J-jeongin? Oh my god, what happened?” _

_No verbal response. _

_Instead, Jeongin raised his arms slowly to wrap around Felix’s waist, gripping his shirt tightly. Felix felt him shaking and tears slowly began to soak through his shirt. He forced his hands to hug him back, still in shock. _

_Never had Felix seen Jeongin cry this hard before. The last time he cried was when he lost a game of Fortnite to Felix. Even so, that was years ago._

_“I-it’ll be okay,” he whispered shakily into Jeongin’s ear. After a bit of back rubs, deep breaths, and soothing words, Jeongin’s breathing calmed and they pulled apart. _

_“They- they called me names,” he said quietly, not looking at Felix. “Slapped me a few times for fun as well. S-said some things like, ‘Why do you always smile? You think everything is funny or something? It’s so creepy.’” His voice quivered and Felix reached out to hold his hands. _

_“Look at me, Jeongin,” Felix tilted his chin to look at him. “Who cares what they think? They’re just jealous that you have such a beautiful smile,” he said with the most confident voice he could muster. Jeongin seemed unconvinced so he pressed on._

_“I still remember that time I dropped my ice cream on the ground while we walked home. Remember that? You smiled at me and held out your own so we could share. You smiling made me smile again, even if I did drop my favorite peach ice cream.” Jeongin giggled, and Felix could feel a warm tingling in his heart._

_“I want you to keep smiling. Let people judge you. It just means they don’t know how kind and considerate you are. Most importantly, I love your smile.”_

_Felix never thought he would call himself “gay” or even “bisexual”. But that smile Jeongin sent his way made him second-guess himself. _

After that incident, he was forced to confront his own sexuality and ended up on a shady “how to tell if you’re gay” website with the thought in mind that he was, indeed, gay for his best friend.

~

**Jeongin**

_New school, same boring procedures,_Jeongin thinks as he sits through JYP University’s freshman orientation. The president, Park Jinyoung drones on about this and that, how everyone should try their best, what a rigorous course it is, etc. Jeongin blanks out at the sound of his monotone voice. 

JYP. Seoul’s school for performing arts and entertainment. Jeongin miraculously passed the exam to get in, wanting to follow his brother’s footsteps into the entertainment industry. He decided that it was the best way to repay the Bang family for taking in a poor soul like him. But now that he was here, regret took over. Everyone was competitive, there were too many rules, and the schedule was packed.

Bored, he scans the room discretely to look for his best friend, Kim Seungmin. Friends throughout high school, Jeongin bonded with him through their sophomore chemistry class after setting fire to a hot plate.

In the same group, they thought it was a good idea to leave marshmallows on the plate during an experiment, which lead to a burnt pile of ashes and the fire alarm going off from the smoke. The rest of the story was erased from his mind. It’s not like he was constantly scolded by Chan for a month after that. Nope. Not at all. 

His eyes continuously scan the room and stumble upon a redhead one row behind him, to the right. His head is turned, talking to a squirrel-like boy next to him. This redhead looks very familiar, Jeongin notes. When he turns back to the front, their eyes lock and his go wide. He immediately looks away, leaving Jeongin blinking in confusion. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

_Felix? Is that Felix?_

The last time Jeongin had seen him was over three years ago.

-

_Summer break of high school freshman year_

_A few days before summer break ended, with Chan away at work, Jeongin met up with Felix, just to hang out. As they walked to the nearest 7-Eleven down the street, the sun’s rays beat down on their skin. _

_Jeongin had already accepted the fact that he was in love with his best friend. After “the incident” earlier in the year, the two of them had grown closer than ever. Even Chan had questioned their relationship. _

_*_

_“Looking quite close, you two,” he mentioned on a snowy day in December. Jeongin was curled up next to Felix on the couch of their home, a fuzzy blanket covering the both of them. Jeongin shifted away from Felix uncomfortably under Chan’s gaze, face growing red. Undisturbed, Felix pulled him back just as close as before._

_“What are you talking about, Chan? Who wouldn’t love someone as cute as Jeongin?” he said with a laugh, leaning in to squish Jeongin’s cheeks. Chan sent a knowing glance towards Jeongin’s tomato red face but didn’t say anything else. _

_*_

_Jeongin thought Felix looked gorgeous as is, but seeing his golden skin radiate in the sun set off gay signals and his sweating worsened._

_“It’s pretty hot, I’m sweating a bunch,” Felix said, coincidentally at that very moment, as he plucked at the collar of his shirt in a vain attempt to cool off. _

_No, Jeongin was not trying to look down his shirt. Well… maybe. He was stuck staring at the collarbone. God, he was such a creep. If Felix noticed the staring eyes, he didn’t react._

_They reached a slightly run-down 7-Eleven miraculously and Jeongin was forced to look away to choose his ice cream. Felix, of course picked out his “deluxe, rich and creamy” peach ice cream, which was a whole 8,000 won. A total waste of money, Jeongin pointed out one time and ended up with a face full of that very peach ice cream. _

_After playing rock-paper-scissors to see who was paying (which Felix won to Jeongin’s dismay) they decided to stop by a park on the way back home. Finding shade by the base of a tall tree, they sat in calm silence, licking at their fast melting ice cream. It was comfortable like this. Jeongin decided that this was good enough-_

_“Jeongin, can I kiss you?” _

_Soft, yet confident words split through the silence. It was so sudden, that, Jeongin stopped mid-lick to stare at Felix, who was staring right back at him. No words could come from his mouth. Jeongin saw a hint of regret in Felix’s eyes as he adverted them quickly._

_“That was something I saw in a movie and I wanted to try it. The main character was so straightforward with his confession that I just had to try it. Don’t worry too much about it,” he rambled._

_“O-oh,” Jeongin managed to croak out. “Okay.” _

_Felix got up suddenly. “Sorry, I have to head home early. See you around, Jeongin.”_

_Giving him no time to react, Felix quickly walked away, an expression on his face that Jeongin could not decipher. That was the last time Jeongin saw him. If only I had time to respond, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way, Jeongin regretted. _

_*_

_“Chan, where did Felix go? I haven’t seen him around."_

_“I don’t know, Innie. Did something happen between you two?”_

_“What?! No…” _

_Jeongin couldn’t lie to Chan to save his life. He ended up spilling everything to his brother: how Felix made him feel, what he wanted to tell him, and the loneliness of his absence. In the end, nothing was resolved. Jeongin was still lonely and the brothers still had no idea where Felix had gone._

_~_

**Jisung**

“Jisung!” Felix whispers frantically, a panicked look on his face. “That’s him!” Jisung looks in the direction of the frantic head nod, noticing a cute sharp-eyed boy a row in front to the left of them staring off into space.

“Jeongin?” he whispers back. “Your crush that never was returned before you left?”

“Shhhh,” Felix shushes him, looking anxious. He starts to panic. “Oh my god, I can’t believe he’s at this school. Of all schools, why this one? I’m not prepared. I haven’t even contacted him for three years. I-”

“Felix, he’s looking at you.” Felix turns his head slowly, almost comically, and his eyes widen. He snaps his head back. “He knows it’s me. Jisung, kill me now. I’ll die later anyway. Make it quick and painless.”

Jisung tries hard not to laugh. The way Felix made the situation look was funny, but when Felix confided to him before he left, it seemed like something out of an angsty drama.

-

_“I actually asked if I could kiss him! Then I just left!” There was a loud sound of agony on the phone, something between a car engine and a dying whale. _

_“Damn, you really messed up,” Jisung agreed. “What are you going to do now? You’re leaving tomorrow right?” Jisung was the only person Felix told about this sudden leave. His grandma, back in Australia was sick and needed help around the house. His parents decided that they would move back to Australia for the time being, and Felix, being too young to live on his own had no say in the matter._

_Felix told Jisung that he didn’t want Jeongin or Chan to worry about him so he never told them the news. His pining for Jeongin had only taken him so far and he was prepared to get over him in Australia. Then he just had to go and mess everything up by “confessing”. _

_“I’m not going to contact him. I can’t. Jeongin can forget about me for all I care. He probably doesn’t even like me like that.”_

_“Hmm, if you think that’s the best option. I can’t tell you what to do in that sort of situation. I have no experience yet,” Jisung joked. “Still though, keep me updated. You’d probably be lonely without your lover boy. I may not be as special as him but I’m still your friend.”_

_“He’s not my lover. I’m trying to get over him, mind you.” There’s a sigh in the background._

_“I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I’ll see you around Jisung.”_

_~_

**Changbin**

Changbin sees Felix and Jeongin’s eyes meet at the orientation and his heart twists painfully. He has no chance already, but he can’t seem to tear his eyes away from the redhead, who he never thought he would see again.

He first fell for the Felix in his third year of high school, Felix being a year younger. A simple and short walk to the park was all he wanted, not some stupid crush weighing him down.

-

_Spring of high school junior year_

_“I’m going out for a walk!” Changbin called to his parents, already half way out the door. A gentle spring breeze greeted him, along with a dozen pink petals gliding past him into the house. _

_Crap, I’ll have to clean that later, he made a mental note to himself. As he walked down the street to a nearby park, he took the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery: pink cherry blossoms, clear skies, beautiful orange-haired boy-_

_Wait. _

_Changbin halted. Who-_

_The aforementioned redhead turned towards him and Changbin’s breath caught in his throat. Wha- how is he sparkling?!_

_Changbin stood, frozen in place, staring at the boy sitting on a park swing a few meters away from him. He looked anxious or nervous or something, and Changbin felt the need to go up to this boy and talk to him. _

_“H-hey,” he started off, shakily. Wow, great job, he told himself. “You alright?” The boy stood, startled. At his recognition, he let out a small sigh of relief and flashed a polite, apologetic smile. “Oh, yeah, just waiting for someone.”_

_Freckles danced across the boys face, making his appearance seem mellow, yet his voice was quite deep. Changbin actually thought it was unique and it piqued his interest in the boy more. _

_“You lost? You looked a bit uneasy.”_

_“Oh,” the boy blushed. “No, just a bit nervous. I’m meeting a friend I haven’t seen in a while.” It doesn’t seem like just any friend to me by the way you’re acting, Changbin wanted to say. Instead, he awkwardly wishes him a good day and turns to leave. _

_“I’ll see you around, um-“_

_“Felix,” the boy cut in. _

_“Yeah, I’m Changbin. See you.” About a block away, he turned around to see a younger boy run up to Felix, greeting him with a hug. Looks like he’s already taken, Changbin muttered to himself. Of course, who wouldn’t love a perfect being like him?_

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who didn't get it:  
Felix and Jeongin met in middle school. Felix leaves after sophomore year of high school for Australia. He comes back for his second year of college. Jisung is the only one who knows so far.  
Jeongin thinks that Felix left because of his confession and is mad because of such a trivial reason.  
Changbin has feelings for Felix even before he left. He isn't sure what to do now that he's back.  
Hope it makes sense and the next chapter will be coming soon (probably!)
> 
> (Quick shoutout to my beta reader, ColorsOfAYinYang (another AO3 member), who knows nothing about kpop funnily enough)


	2. Autumn (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After orientation, many conversations happen and misunderstandings are made.

_“On one fine day, you magically appeared. You took my heart and attracted my eyes.” Pretty U – Seventeen_

**Jisung**

3racha. Jisung’s life used to revolve around their 3-membered close-knit group, composed of himself and two hyungs, Changbin and Chan. He used to enjoy rapping; it was a way to express the words from his heart. Feeling the air around him as he moved to the music always gave him an extra adrenaline boost. He always looked forward to their meet-ups, whether that was at a nearby 24-hour coffee shop or someone’s dorm room. Jisung spent most of his time producing music with the two of them.

This changed when he stumbled upon the prettiest hyung he’d ever seen on one of his trips to the bathroom. He had whipped the door open to come face-to-face with soft brown eyes and hair. Jisung had gaped for a good 5 seconds, jaw going slack as he studied the other’s face, eyes lingering on the lips. The said person let out a small, embarrassed cough, causing reality to strike Jisung square in the face.

Too embarrassed to say anything, Jisung stuttered out a squeaky “E-excuse me!” and shuffled past him, bowing apologetically. The hyung’s eyes followed him and he gave a small smile before leaving. From that incident on, Jisung found himself invested in daydreaming about that hyung and his stupidly pretty lashes.

He still hadn’t gotten a name unfortunately, deciding for now that his nickname would be “eyelash hyung”. It was a quite a surprise to Jisung that many people in his class hadn’t heard of him; he was pretty enough (or so Jisung thought) to be the talk of the school.

So when Jisung spots him outside after that eternity-long orientation, he sees it as a chance from God to get his puny ass over there and ask for a name and, maybe if he was brave enough, a phone number. He’s muttering encouraging words to tame his nerves and repeating “YOLO” in his head when Felix comes up next to him. Tugging on his arm to get his attention, he manages to tear Jisung’s attention away from the disappearing brunette’s head much to Jisung’s dismay.

“Come with me!” Felix whispers urgently. “I can’t face Jeongin alone!” Felix always made life sound like a video game. This time was no exception. “Geez, you make it sound like you’re facing the final boss. Jeongin’s literally younger than you, plus he’s sweet enough that he won’t kill you.” Felix gasps dramatically, as if to say _how could you say that to your best friend?_

“Plus,” Jisung adds, squinting to track his crush’s movement. “It’s not my problem anyway.” He feels Felix’s squinted eyes looking at him intently. “What’s got your attention, anyway?” Felix asks, trying to follow his gaze. “Or should I say, who?” he adds, teasingly.

“What?! Felix! I-,” Jisung panics, face flushing. “I just- I- I’ll be right back,” he stutters and slips into the crowd, away from a cackling Felix (who was just panicking a few moments before).

Jisung was one of Felix’s closest friends, but for now, he decided that his love life was (not by much, by still) more important than his and Felix’s friendship.

~

**Hyunjin**

It’s after the orientation, people filing out of the auditorium when Hyunjin sees a boy with sharp eyes scouring the crowd hesitantly. _Is he lost? _Hyunjin wonders. _As a hyung, I might as well go help him. _Hyunjin obviously didn’t have alternative motives (he just wanted to help out a dongsaeng, not score a boyfriend or anything of that sort).

He makes his way over, like a fish swimming against the current, when he notices someone else headed towards the same boy. Hyunjin makes note of some of the features: a small face, bright orange hair, and freckles; possibly someone from abroad? Hyunjin, being closer, makes it to the boy first.

“Excuse me,” he half-yells, tapping the boy’s shoulder at the same time the freckled one yells, “Jeongin!” Having attention from both sides must’ve been startling; “Jeongin’s” eyes flit nervously between the two. As the crowd thins out, Hyunjin and the other boy have a stare-off.

“You know him?” the redhead asks the boy, gesturing to Hyunjin. Jeongin’s not making eye contact with this other boy, Hyunjin notes. “Uhhh-”

“I was just about to ask him if he was lost,” Hyunjin decides to step in. Jeongin looks at him nervously and he takes the time to study the boy’s face closely. He was just a regular kid with sharp eyes and high cheekbones, but something about his face entranced Hyunjin. They continued to have “a moment” if you could call it one, until Felix interrupts, causing disappointment to fill Hyunjin’s gut.

“He’s with me,” Felix says pulling Jeongin away from Hyunjin by the arm. “You sure?” Hyunjin questions, tugging him gently back. “He looks a bit uncomfortable to me.” Jeongin cuts in before Felix can speak, prying his arms away from both of them. “No, I’m okay. Thank you, uhh…” Jeongin trails off. “Hyunjin,” he finishes. “And, if you say so. See you around then, Jeongin-ah.” With a wink towards his newfound crush, he strides away, not caring enough to notice a glare being thrown his way by a certain freckled redhead.

~

**Chan**

Kim Woojin was the reason Chan was able to stay so strong for his brother. Chan called it a miracle that he had gotten to have someone so supportive and understanding by his side.

Jeongin was much closer to Felix than he was to the both of them, but Chan cared for his brother just as much as Jeongin cared for Felix. Seeing Jeongin in such pain and loneliness knowing that Felix had left brought Chan pain. Knowing that Felix affected him enough to cause Jeongin to hole himself up in his room caused Chan much stress and anxiety for his brother. Chan was someone Jeongin chose to turn to, and Chan liked the idea of being relied on, but he found himself being weighted down by these new troubles. Of course he had to act strong for his younger brother, but having their troubles shift onto your shoulders made your mentality slowly crumble until you felt nothing but hopelessness. Chan was well on the way to that stage when he met Woojin.

Meeting Woojin changed Chan’s life; he stood by his side, supporting him through hugs, kisses, and chicken offerings. Chan remembered all of those times he would meet up with Woojin, just to fall asleep in his embrace with teary eyes on a park bench. Yet, Woojin would never leave him.

Throughout the years Felix was gone, Chan tried to understand Felix’s perspective. Longing for someone of the same sex was considered “taboo” in South Korea. It was understandable to want to get rid of those feelings in any way possible. But, to leave those you love behind without notice? That was a completely different story.

Trying to keep a straight face, he watches from a distance as Felix approaches Jeongin, eyes full of care, fondness, and most prominently guilt. Chan finds that any previous anger drains from his body, and he turns around to leave. He just can’t stay mad and he doesn’t know why. He thinks maybe he’s just too kind. He knows he has every right to be mad at Felix but something tells him that it’s a misunderstanding. Moreover, he’s just ultimately happy Felix is back. Walking away, Chan wonders if Jeongin will feel the same.

~

**Minho**

The orientation goes smoothly for the most part in Minho’s case. Only a few people near him sneeze, causing him to pull out a mask and cover his nose in irritation.

Now heading back to his dorm, already thinking about his cozy bed, a hand tugs at him to stop. Annoyed and groggy, he turns around, ready to punch whoever it is in the gut, when-

It’s not the person he longs to see.

It’s Hyunjin’s stupid face, smirking, and Minho’s hand is already curled into a fist.

“Minho-hyung, how about you try going out with me?” Hyunjin asks suddenly, as if that was the only conversation starter he knew at the moment. Minho’s mood worsens. It’s been almost three months since they last saw each other, and the first words that come out of his mouth are a confession?!

“Wha- what are you saying? Last time I asked you, you said no, and that was a year ago. What changed your mind?”

“I guess it would just be something different for a new year, that’s all. But, for real this time. Not you trying to make Jisung jealous. An actual relationship.” Hyunjin shrugs.

“You can’t be serious. You’re scheming something, aren’t you?” Minho asks, skeptically. Hyunjin has the audacity to look offended by his words.

“Don’t believe me? I’m totally, one hundred percent serious. Let’s just try it out,” Hyunjin replies, looking Minho straight in the eye.

“I-I don’t know,” Minho says hesitantly, thinking about Jisung.

Hyunjin reaches out to hold Minho’s shoulders. “Try. With me. Besides, I don’t think a popular kid like Jisung can love you back anyway. You’ll get over him.”

Minho looks at the ground. After a few moments, he replies.

“You’re right. I guess I’ll try.” _He’s in a different league, anyway. It’s better like this._

~

**Jisung**

“It’s that guy from 3racha,” people whisper and squeal as Jisung speed walks through the crowd, like a man on a mission. 3racha was known around the school, not super popular like idol groups but enough that Jisung felt eyes on him sporadically throughout the day. He wouldn’t say he doesn’t like the attention he gets, but he would be overjoyed if he got the attention of a certain someone. Someone that he happens to be following (stalking). Following behind him down the path back to the dorms, Jisung tries to psych himself up.

_Name and number, name and number_, he repeats in his head already planning out the words he’s going to say. _Hi, hyung, I’m Jisung. I’m just wondering if I could maybe, possibly, get your num-_

He’s so focused, he doesn’t realize the boy’s stopped and is now talking to someone who looks familiarly like… Hyunjin? Jisung’s face shrivels in disgust. He did not have good relations with the other boy. They fought throughout high school to the point where their classmates took sides and betted on them. They were the school’s infamous duo known for constant detentions and, once, a suspension as a result of fighting. Jisung just didn’t like seeing his face. A sad coincidence it was to see the one-and-only Hyunjin talking to his crush. _Why Hyunjin of all people?!_ Jisung’s in the middle of a breakdown hiding behind a tree when he hears something he didn’t want to hear.

“Minho-hyung, how about you try going out with me?”

Jisung freezes, eyes going wide. He knows now is the perfect time to stop listening, but his feet are glued to the ground. _Move, feet!_ He urges them to move, to run away, but his body just won't listen. _Please, move?_ he begs, desperately when Minho reponds. 

“Wha- what are you saying? Last time I asked you, you said no, and that was a year ago. What changed your mind?”

_What?_ Jisung’s heart aches. This “Minho” asked Hyunjin out before? Again, _Hyunjin?!_

That seems to set his body into motion and he slowly sneaks away before he can comprehend the situation and break down. He quietly shuffles away from their conversation back to the auditorium, slipping through the crowds of people, the new info running through his head.

~


	3. Autumn (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orientation finally comes to an end and things fall into their natural cycles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy with school starting and stuff so I might not update as quick as I intended. I hope to finish this fanfic by the end of the year though, if that's helpful!

_“Don’t ever fall for someone else, I’m gonna get jealous. From now on, I’m gonna call you mine.” Mansae - Seventeen_

**Hyunjin**

Hyunjin’s used to relationships. He’s used to the push and pull of peoples’ hearts and knows just the right strings to pull to make them fall for him. This time should be no different.

Currently, his plan is going smoothly: use his and Minho’s new relationship to make Jeongin jealous. With a bit of flirting, Jeongin would become jealous of Minho and try to spend more time with Hyunjin. When that happens, just break up with Minho. He saw it in a drama once and decided why not reenact it in real life? Why use Minho, some may ask. Minho happened to be involved in a lot more than just Hyunjin’s plans to woo Jeongin.

You could say he was using Minho to get back at Jisung. The two of them had a mutual hate towards each other. Besides, Minho said he wanted to get over Jisung anyway. Hyunjin was helping him with that. It was like killing _three _birds with one stone rather than just one if he dated someone else.

With his plan set in motion, all he needed was to distract the other party. Hyunjin knows the perfect person to go to as he makes his way to the juniors’ dorms.

~

**Felix**

Finally away from Hyunjin, Felix turns to Jeongin, who avoids eye contact.

“Jeongin,” Felix starts, knowing he’ll try to run away if he doesn’t start talking. “I-I’m really sorry I left. I know it was wrong of me not to tell you.” Jeongin doesn’t respond, keeping his eyes on the ground. Felix continues talking. “It’s really late but I’ll tell you why I left. My grandma, back in Australia, became really sick and my parents decided to move back for the time being.”

“…Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Jeongin finally looks at Felix with hurt puppy eyes and Felix’s heart crumbles.

He pushes the thought of his confession to the back of his mind, saying instead, “I didn’t want to make you worried. It’s a really bad excuse, I know. But I thought about it before I left, and hoped that maybe you could try to forget about me rather than wait for who knows how long for me to return.”

“Why in the world would I want to forget you?” Jeongin asks as if he’s just been asked to jump off a cliff.

_Because_, Felix wants to say._Because you affect me so much that my heart races just being beside you and you might hate it. Because I’m a gay idiot that doesn’t deserve someone as beautiful as you. Because, you probably don’t love me the way I love you._

“I-I just thought you would want some space away from me, that’s all. I didn’t really think of how you felt and I never really asked. I’m sorry.” There’s a moment of silence between the two of them and Felix mentally slaps himself.

_Seriously?! _He thinks to himself. _He needs space? What the hell, Felix! Think of something less plausible why don’t you!_

“In Australia,” Felix continues before Jeongin can question it. “In Australia, I realized I really missed Korea, so I saved enough money to buy an airplane ticket. It was the perfect time: my grandmother was doing well, she was moved back home, hospital expenses were paid, all of that. I finally had the chance to come back home so I took it. I had the chance to be with you again and make things right so here I am.”

That part was true but Felix made it sound too much like a romantic confession. Of course he meant it platonically, but silently he wishes Jeongin would take it from a romantic perspective…

Jeongin clears his throat. “Well now that you’re back, we need to catch up a lot. We can meet up with Chan at his dorm or something. We’re still stuck on that one gym in Pokémon anyways and I haven’t logged onto Fortnite in a while.” Felix pushes away the disappointment and puts on a small smile. “Sounds good.”

If Jeongin wanted to regain just a friendship, Felix would do anything to make it happen. As long as Jeongin was happy, Felix would be too.

~

**Changbin**

“He asked Hyunjin out before, hyung! _The _Hyunjin! _My enemy _Hyunjin!” Jisung whines, burying his head into Changbin’s pillow. 

“I know which Hyunjin you are referring to, Jisung,” Changbin says with a sigh.

Changbin was at his dorm doing a bit of recording to take his mind off of a freckled redhead, when Jisung suddenly appeared at the room without notice, walking right in as if he owned the place, and flopping down on Changbin’s bed before Changbin could even say, “come in, Jisung”. Changbin knew something happened but didn’t care to mention it. It was normal for Jisung to act like this when he had a problem: whining about a certain teacher or classmate, or stressing over a hate comment. Since nothing was “wrong”, Changbin merely sat back down at his desk and resumed typing, (reluctantly) letting Jisung ruin his perfectly made bed.

It was peacefully quiet until Jisung suddenly blurted, “why, Hyunjin?” as if that was enough info for Changbin to magically understand the whole story. When Changbin didn’t respond, Jisung’s ten-minute rant started most of which consisted of him repeatedly saying how much he hates the other.

After demolishing the pillow (physically) and Changbin’s ears (verbally), Jisung finally gets up to leave the room.

“None of my questions were answered,” he grumbles. “That’s what you get when you come to me for advice,” Changbin responds, still not taking his eyes off of the screen. “Ugh… see you later. I’ll go be depressed in my own room.” Jisung finally leaves, moping even more, and the peaceful silence retur-

Not even a minute later and there’s a knock on the door. After a few moments of contemplating whether or not to open it, Changbin sighs and reluctantly moves to open it.

“What is it? Jisung, did you forget your earphones agai-

“Oh.”

The said person in Jisung’s little rant is now in front of Changbin. What timing. If Hyunjin had come any earlier, Changbin is sure he would be cleaning blood off the walls and paying for damage repairs.

Before he can gesture to come in, Hyunjin walks right into the room and situates himself down on Changbin’s swivel chair. Changbin feels a strange sense of déjà vu. Before Changbin can even close the door, Hyunjin speaks.

“Hyung, you like Felix, right?” he asks, straightforwardly. Changbin freezes.

_What_.

Trying to keep a calm expression, he turns to face Hyunjin.

“Yeah, I do. Why do you ask?”

“Great, maybe we can benefit from working together!” Hyunjin claps excitedly. “You like Felix, I like Jeongin. If we can keep them away from each other, maybe they’ll grow apart.”

Changbin didn’t like what he was getting himself into. _Working together? Forcing love to change courses? No thanks. _Changbin wished for a pure and simple relationship. Not whatever the hell Hyunjin was trying to do.

“Hyunjin,” he starts slowly. “Above all, I don’t think it’s right to do this. If those two like each other,” his heart begins to ache, “then we have no right to intervene.”

Hyunjin scoffs and rolls his eyes. “There’s nothing between them. Trust me, hyung.” He stands up to leave. Nearing the door, he turns. “Think about it,” he urges. “All you have to do is distract Felix. It’s easy.” When he closes the door, Changbin collapses in his chair, leaning back and staring up at the blank ceiling.

_Since when was school all about relationships? _Changbin asks no one in particular. _Since when was love always this messed up?_

~

**Chan**

Chan is hard at work in his room when he hears a knock. “It’s Jeongin, hyung,” a voice says timidly, and Chan’s immediately at the door, opening it and giving his brother a big hug. “You ready to move into dorms this evening?” he asks, arms still wrapped tightly around the smaller boy’s waist.

“Y-yeah,” Jeongin replies, his voice muffled. When they pull apart, Jeongin’s eyes light up. “Hyung, guess what happened?”

Chan was already prepared for this moment. He nods.

Jeongin pauses for dramatic effect. “Felix is back!” 

“I know,” Chan says a little quicker than he intended. Jeongin pulls back, shocked. “What? How?”

“I saw you guys at the orientation.”

“Oh.” They stare at each other.

“Jeongin, I need to say something now.” Chan takes a deep breath. “It’s about Felix.” Chan leads Jeongin into his room, closing the door softly.

“What about him?” Jeongin asks, confused.

It was Jeongin’s life, Chan knew, but he just wanted to put this out there. He was his brother for God’s sake. Protecting him was the least he could do. “Felix- he has too much control over you.” There’s a pause.

“W-what are you saying, hyung?”

Chan knows Jeongin will hate him for this but he starts to elaborate. “You laugh when he laughs, whenever he’s away you get quiet, when he left, you were, don’t even try to correct me, but depressed as hell, and now that he’s back, you immediately become a ray of sunshine.

“He’s like a drug, Jeongin, and you’re addicted. I fully support whatever the two of you have going, but he shouldn’t be controlling your emotions. It-its not good.”

Jeongin lowers his head and Chan sighs. “Jeongin, you know I’m just worried for you. I don’t want you to be hurt if Felix does leave again.”

“He won’t leave, hyung! He said he came back to make things right! He came back to Korea because he misses us!”

“I think it’s best if you keep a bit of distance. Not outright avoiding him, but enough to tell that you can be independent with and without him.” Chan steps forward to grab Jeongin’s wrist but he brushes past Chan to leave the room.

“I’ll try, hyung,” he mutters before the door closes.

_He’ll come around eventually_, Chan tries to tell himself as he collapses on the floor in defeat. _At least I tried._

~

**Minho**

Hyunjin was actually keeping his word much to Minho’s surprise.

“An actual relationship” he said he wanted. It’s still shocking to Minho. _The _Hyunjin, wanting to keep a relationship? It was like the apocalypse was on the brink of happening. In a way, Minho benefitted from this sudden change. Going out with someone, even a well-known playboy like Hyunjin, was a good way to forget about someone. Especially someone who you had no chance with.

Him and Hyunjin did things that, well, boyfriends would do. They would go on drives to a 7-Eleven to pick up a cheap snack after a long study session on the god-forsaken Calculus homework assigned. They would meet each other on weekends and go to movies or restaurants in their spare time.

Hyunjin always made the first move, Minho noticed, whether it was a quick text “hey wanna go to the arcade this saturday?” or in person, “Let’s go to that new ramen place that opened last week!” Minho always felt guilty because at those moments, his mind always seemed to drift to another person.

3racha’s Han Jisung. He was the boy that caught Minho’s eye from the start.

-

_Just like JYP was Seoul’s most prestigious university, Big Hit Music Academy was the high school that everyone was desperate to enter: some tried to cheat their way in, others paid millions as bribery, and the school even had a major hacking issue at one point. The school prepared young trainees to debut in the entertainment industry. _

_Minho passed the exam with just a score above average much to his amazement. Pure luck, he told himself. It also happened to be luck when a famous company placed him in a group debuting in less than a year. Why they wanted 16-year-olds to be in an idol group, Minho had no idea._

_That point of time was the roughest and most rigorous for Minho. Getting less than three hours of sleep a night and barely any food all day took a toll on his body. Collapsing after practice became normal and he could feel himself growing skinnier every week. Along with the homework from the academy, his schedule was so packed that every minute was precious._

_A major assessment in the company brought more trouble to Minho’s plate. That day was particularly bad. He hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast, only got an hour of sleep, and had a huge headache. As he faced the head director, Minho felt himself shake and stumble through the choreography. _

_Finishing up the dance, Minho braced himself for the string of embarrassing and humiliating comments he was about to get thrown his way. _

_What he wasn’t expecting was, “Minho, you’re not good enough. I think the best option is for you to drop out of the team. The rest will debut without you. Keep practicing.”_

_The rest of the conversation was forgotten in Minho’s mind. All he could think about was how he was such a failure; he’d let everyone down. Did the work he put into this even matter? _

_He left the room in shock, stumbling back to the place he knows best: the practice room. When he entered, someone was already there. Minho recognized him as Chan, the Australian upperclassman who was apparently super kind. He probably didn’t even know who Minho was. _

_Too tired to think anymore, he broke down at the door, collapsing on the ground from the sharp pain in his head. Before he fainted, a hand was on his face shouting at him that he was going to be okay. Am_ I going to be okay? _Minho questioned._

_The next thing he remembered was the sofa he woke up on. There was an ice pack on his head and someone passed him a granola bar and a bottle of water. Once Minho was fully awake, the other boy, Chan, went on a rant. _

_“You fainted because of malnutrition! You should see how scrawny you are. Take care of yourself!” _

_Memories of the evaluation rushed back into his head and Minho snapped. “I just got kicked out from a debuting group! My health is the last thing I should be concerned about!”_

_Chan recoiled at the sudden lash, looking down guiltily. “Oh,” he said softly. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”_

_“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”_

_“It’s fine. I probably deserved it.”_

_There was an awkward silence. “…Still, take care of yourself. You matter more than some stupid group.”_

_Minho never was one to express his inner feelings with someone he barely knew. Chan was just that person who you knew you could trust. Minho felt himself opening up more and more to his new therapist. Over a span of an hour, not only did Chan know Minho’s name, but also his background, future plans, and innermost thoughts. Minho also knew a few things about Chan as well, including that fact that he was already a part of a three-membered group. They could’ve stayed at the practice room all night but were cut short by an announcement that the practice rooms would soon close. _

_“I hope you feel better, Minho,” Chan patted him on the shoulder and stood up. “Oh, and you should check our group out, if you want. It’s called 3racha.”_

_When he got back home, Minho did look up their group on SoundCloud, choosing to listen to a song titled “For You.”_

_“You are doing more than enough.”_

_The song’s sweet melody effortlessly carried words that resonated in Minho’s heart, forming tears in the corner of his eyes. _

_“Don’t give up. You persevered up until now.”_

_Those were the words Minho wanted someone to tell him every time he felt like giving up._

_“It’s hard right? I know. It’s okay to cry, it’s not a bad thing.”_

_A tear escapes from his eye._

_“I hope this gives you strength. Listen to our song, we want to support you. It’s you, you can do anything. So don’t stop.”_

_Minho decided that night to aim for JYP University. He was only a junior at the time but he made it his goal to pass the entrance exam, using 3racha’s songs as his moral support. He studied with Chan when possible, who had already passed. Chan also took the time to monitor his health like a personal doctor, which Minho found both annoying and comforting. _

_He devoted his senior year to strictly classes and dance, and when he passed the entrance exam with flying colors Minho knew he had made the right decision._

_*_

_One day in his second year, he was hanging out with Chan when he suddenly brought attention to something Minho never really wondered about until now._

_“I just realized I’ve never shown you my other teammate!” Minho was now a lowkey fan of 3racha, already knowing two of the three members. The third was still unknown to him._

_Chan pulled out his phone, swiping through the pictures. “You know Changbin, obviously. He’s in your grade. But, I haven’t shown you Jisung yet.”_

_His eyes lit up when he found the perfect picture and faced it towards Minho. _

_It’s a selfie of the three of them, sharp-chinned Changbin on left and a blonde, crazed-hair Chan in the middle. But, it was the young, squirrel-like boy on the right shooting a peace sign that caught Minho’s attention immediately. He felt the need to squish those cheeks, hold those soft-looking hands, and do other things Minho wouldn’t normally do to a complete stranger he hadn’t even met. _

_“That’s Han Jisung,” Chan explained. “He’s a year younger than you, planning on coming to JYP next year. Maybe you’ll get to see him.”_

_Minho did end up seeing him a lot the next year. Always surrounded by people, Minho didn’t have the courage to go up and strike a conversation. If Jisung was the sun that attracted everything, Minho was the moon that hid in the shadows. It wasn’t until the bathroom incident did Minho realize just how adorable Jisung was up close._

_-_

Nowadays, Minho sees Jisung more frequently, much to his excitement and dismay. Hyunjin’s always there, sweeping Minho away from the other boy before things can escalate to more than a few words. Minho remains conflicted: he’s reluctant but also relieved. Even though deep down he wishes Jisung would look disappointed, he never is brave enough to turn back and check.

The next few months are slow. His relationship with Hyunjin continues unexcitingly and Minho begins to think that no matter how hard he tries he can’t suppress his inner feelings towards Han Jisung.

~

**Jeongin**

Finally the freshman move into dorms. Jeongin and Seungmin bring all of their things up to the freshman dorm. It’s a rich school, so there’s no need to dorm with someone else. Jeongin has a whole room to himself, a small pleasure only some of the top schools’ students can experience. Only problem is that you don’t get to decide where you want to dorm, so while Jeongin is on the second floor, Seungmin is on the forth. Not only does Jeongin not know anyone else on his floor, he relies on Chan’s cooking and Chan’s dorm is too far away to go every night. _Cup noodles it is_, Jeongin decides. Over the next week, there are 14 empty cup noodle cans in Jeongin’s trash.

Hanging out with Felix is becoming harder as school kicks off. Felix being a year older has little to no classes with Jeongin and the time in between is usually spent studying or practicing. They manage to find some time on the weekends for a quick trip to the coffee shop or the library. Jeongin keeps Chan’s words in the back of his mind, but never lets it affect him too much.

There’s a change in Jeongin’s schedule. Hyunjin visits him more frequently than Jeongin expected. It’s obvious he’s skipping class, even walking Jeongin to some of his classes even though Jeongin has no clue why. Hyunjin mentions one time that he is going out with an upperclassman named Minho, and Jeongin finds the news a bit exciting.

“I’ll come to you if I have relationship troubles, hyung!” he says oblivious to the forced smile thrown his way.

Another change: Seungmin becomes more annoying than ever.

“Sooo… how’s it going with Felix?” Seungmin asks (for the fifth time that week) in homeroom. Jeongin resists the urge to roll his eyes and groan in embarrassment.

“Nothing is happening. Geez, mind your own business.” Seungmin wriggles his eyebrows suggestively and is about to say more when homeroom starts, saving Jeongin from more embarrassment.

JYP throws more things at him besides love problems. Their first project is assigned on the third day of school, a “really important grade” their teacher says when the whole class groans. Jeongin finds that it’s normal at this school to regularly have projects and pop quizzes, so Jeongin finds it easy to keep busy. Before he knows it, winter is right around the corner.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know how this fanfiction will turn out... I don't ever plan this far ahead! Don't be too surprised if this turns out crappy!
> 
> By the way, I was scrolling through some lyrics and read Seventeen's Don't Wanna Cry. It would be a perfect fit for the first chapter, but I'm too lazy to go back and change the quote. Look up the lyrics if you have time and if you haven't heard it before, it's an absolute must!


	4. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With winter comes stalemate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally managed to get through this chapter in a day! Whew! Not sure when the next update will be. Hopefully soon!

_“After the hot summer and the lonely autumn, it’s winter.” Winter Winter, N.Flying_

**Jisung**

Jisung’s breath dissipates into the air as he walks briskly to his first class. This winter was especially cold and the last thing he wants is his snot to freeze from being out too long. He was reluctant to get up from the warmth of his bed at 7 in the morning, but it was the last day of class before winter break and that fact was enough to get him through his daily morning routines. _I need warmth! _His brain screams at him as he turns a corner. _We’re almost there! Almost to the warmth of the heated classroom!_

As his eyes are trained on the double doors a few yards away, his ears suddenly perk up at the sound of sweet laughter to his right. He turns his head towards the sound and immediately wishes he hadn’t looked.

It’s Hyunjin. With Minho. Who’s laughing. The sight of Minho sends butterflies fluttering around Jisung’s stomach. The sight of Hyunjin kills them all.

An ugly feeling rises in Jisung’s chest as he makes his way past them trying to be as discreet as possible.

“Kkami never bit me before! Not until now! I don’t even know what I did wrong!” Hyunjin’s saying and Jisung rolls his eyes. _Pathetic._

Minho giggles at this and Jisung tries not to scowl. _Don’t laugh! He’s not funny! _

“Sooni and Dori never have either, but Doongi is a completely different story. I swear that cat only likes me for the food.” Jisung can hear the sadness in Minho’s voice and his heart thumps. _Cute. _Out of the corner of his eye, he watches as Hyunjin reaches out to hold Minho’s hand. “It’s okay. We’re in this together.”

_For God’s sake, they’re talking about pets! He makes it sound like the end of the world! _Jisung does scowl this time and at the last second, he swerves around, heading right towards the two. _Screw it_, he thinks. He needs this ugly feeling in his chest to go away.

“Hey Minho,” he starts, effectively cutting Hyunjin off midsentence. He receives a glare in return. “Just letting you know, your class might start soon. Isn’t on the other side of the campus?” Minho looks at him with wide eyes and Jisung fights the urge to look away.

After a few moments, Minho seems to recover and breaks the eye contact. “Y-yeah. I guess I should get going, huh? I must’ve lost track of time. Thanks, Jisung.” Minho turns to hug Hyunjin, who whispers a “see you later” into the crook of his neck and Jisung cringes internally.

With a final wave, Minho walks away and Jisung turns to Hyunjin. “I know you’re up to something. Stay away from him,” he snarls.

“I should be telling you that,” Hyunjin shoots back. “He’s _my _boyfriend, got it? Just because you keep pining for him doesn’t mean you automatically have control over him. Unlike your coward ass, I took the initiative to ask him out and he just so happened to say yes.” Jisung opens his mouth to refute when he’s cut off.

“There’s no point of trying, Jisung. He doesn’t even like you back.”

Hyunjin turns and starts walking away. “Stay away from my boyfriend,” he calls. “And how do you even know his schedule anyway, huh?”

Jisung, who remained quiet the entire time, flushes deep red (from the cold!) and stalks towards the building door. _I should’ve entered the damn building in the first place! _He mentally curses. _What the hell is wrong with me?!_

~

**Felix**

Half of winter break has already passed and Felix finds himself in the warm comfort of Chan’s dorm, cuddled next to Jeongin and his friend Seungmin. This was exactly what Felix imagined for Christmas and he felt bubbly happiness in his chest. Curled up on the couch covered by fluffy blankets, sipping hot chocolate and playing video games, Felix felt nothing short of content. He’s still shocked by the fact that Jeongin actually took the initiative to ask him out first.

-

_It was one of those rare days where both of their classes were cancelled and they decided to spend it at the arcade. Jeongin was determined to finally beat Felix at some sort of game, and Felix couldn’t refuse the challenge. “I’m ready! Prepare to be defeated!” Jeongin yelled confidently at the entrance. _

_Felix demolished Jeongin in their first two games of skee-ball and air hockey. Halfway through their third match, Mario Cart, Felix was on the verge of a mental breakdown, the two halves of his brain bringing up the question he’d tucked at the back of his mind: whether or not to ask Jeongin out on Christmas. With this newly risen thought, his hands began to sweat and they slipped from the wheel allowing Jeongin to speed through the finish line. _

_“Yes! I finally won!” Jeongin threw his hands in the air in excitement as a huge smile took over his face. Felix cheered along with him, hoping the nervousness didn’t show on his face. When the thrill died down, they both stood up and walked to the next row to find something else to play._

_“Hey, Felix?” Jeongin asked suddenly. Felix glanced over to see him looking slightly embarrassed. “I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and my friend on Christmas at Chan’s?” Felix’s brain froze but Jeongin continued. “We can play games and stuff. Chan’s not going to be there, though. He already planned a date with Woojin. O-oh, but only if you want to…” he trailed off, eyebrows wrinkled, and Felix managed to unfreeze, leaning in to smooth them out. “That sounds really fun,” he managed to say confidently. “I will make sure that day is completely empty.” _Only for you, Jeongin.

-

A phone notification distracts Felix whose watching the other two beat each other up in Smash Bros. He reaches under the blanket feeling around and finds something, lifting it. Phone? Nope, that’s Jeongin’s leg. He can tell by the way Jeongin jumps, dropping the controller, and Seungmin takes that chance to K.O. his character.

“Hyunggg,” he whines and Felix laughs with a quick apology. Searching around a bit more, his fingers finally find the tablet and he takes a quick peek to see who it is. _Changbin-hyung?_

“hey felix. just wanted to wish you a merry christmas. if youre not busy maybe we can hang out?”

Felix was not good at turning people down politely. He either went along with them reluctantly or outright told them no. Changbin was too kind to deserve the second option and he really wanted to spend the day with Jeongin so the first option was out as well. That means he was going to have to attempt this whole polite thing.

“merry christmas to you as well. regarding your invitation unfortunately i am quite busy on this fine da-“ Felix quickly backspaces. What he learned in Business English was not helping. He tries again.

“hey, merry christmas to you as well.” _Keep it casual, _he thinks to himself. “im actually busy right now. really sorry! maybe we can find time to hang out once school starts back up?” He pats himself on the back proudly, ignoring the weird looks from the other two, and sends the text.

“Who was it?” Jeongin asks, leaning over to read the screen. “Just Changbin-hyung,” Felix says turning the screen off. “Wanted to hang out but I told him I was busy with you guys.” Jeongin laughs, pulling Felix into a hug. Seungmin just smirks with a knowing look on his face. “That’s right! We’re not letting you go until we finally beat you!”

They do eventually beat Felix, Seungmin holding down Felix’s arms, Jeongin stealing and hiding the controller.

~

**Woojin**

Finally Woojin had a chance to go out with his boyfriend. The two of them were so preoccupied by school, it being their last year and all. The only few times they texted started with Chan, who continued to worry about Jeongin and sought Woojin’s comfort.

An opportunity came once winter break started and Woojin wasn’t going to miss it. He sent a quick text to Chan. “You down for chicken on Christmas with me?” A response came in less than a few seconds. “Yesss. I need a break.” Woojin wasn’t good at planning events or dates or anything and he was relieved when he found out that Chan didn’t mind at all. He liked to (they called it) “chicken” wing it. Just go with the flow. They rarely planned hangouts, just stopping by each other’s apartments when needed. That text was the only thing needed for them to meet up and find that chicken restaurant Woojin loved (but not more than Chan of course).

Looking around for the shop, Woojin spots a familiar face across the street. Hyunjin. One of the reasons for Chan’s stress. Chan has told him multiple times of Jisung’s complaining about the guy. Although Woojin knew nothing about him, based on what he heard, he was still cautious and wanted to keep Chan away from him when all possible.

Quickly he grabs Chan’s shoulders and swerves the both of them around in the opposite direction. “Change of plans. Let’s go eat something you want.” Confused, Chan turns to look at him and Woojin tries his best to block the other side of the street. “I’m fine with chicken, you know,” he says.

Woojin starts walking, looping their arms together. “No, I insist. I’m feeling rather hungry for some pizza this time.”

~

**Minho**

When Hyunjin asked him out for Christmas, Minho didn’t really have a reason to refuse. There was nothing to do, anyway. He didn’t want to waste the effort to go home to Gimpo when you had such things as a laptop to message with or a phone to call with. Minho also viewed it as another way to get squirrel-face out of his head. The repeated patterns of seeing his face right before being whisked away by Hyunjin gave him a sort of depressed feeling. It’s like quitting smoking suddenly and you start to get withdrawals. Yeah. It was pretty bad.

Since Hyunjin asked so nicely, Minho found himself getting up from the comfort of his bed on Christmas to get changed. “Let’s go out for dinner!” he called earlier that day. “I’ll come over to your dorm and pick you up. See you at 5?”

Now he finds himself walking alongside Hyunjin whose going on and on about the really good restaurant he found. It’s still fairly lighted and the streets are bustling with couples. Although he’s still bundled thoroughly with a scarf and gloves, he still shivers from the cold air. Hyunjin takes that moment to interlock their fingers and put them in his pocket, moving closer. Minho is about to smile in gratitude when someone turns the corner, walking towards them.

Minho freezes and Hyunjin’s grip tightens. _Of all times, I have to see Jisung now? On Christmas? _Jisung finally notices them and stops, glancing at their hands. “Funny seeing you two here,” he finally looks back up making eye contact with Minho.

“It shouldn’t be. That’s what couples do, Jisung. Go on _dates_,” Hyunjin says, emphasizing the “dates”. “I-I know that!” Jisung scowls. “I just didn’t actually expect you to take him out.”

Minho pretends he doesn’t know what Jisung means and turns to Hyunjin. “Well, we should go. Don’t want to miss our reservation, right?” Hyunjin nods. “See you around Jisung,” Minho says, tugging Hyunjin along with him. He can see the way Jisung turns towards him as if he wants to say something. He notices Jisung’s hand reaching out as if to grab him. It makes Minho’s heart hurt. Nonetheless, he walks past Jisung and lets out the breath he’s been holding.

Hyunjin leans his head close to Minho’s and whispers, “See? You’re getting over him.” Minho tries to believe him.

~

**Jeongin**

The day after Christmas, Jisung shows up at Chan’s place unannounced. Although Chan’s used to it, Jeongin apparently isn’t and startles as Jisung flings himself onto Chan’s bed.

Jeongin decided a little before to lounge around at Chan’s while Felix went to his class. He wasn’t mad about the fight anymore. Chan was still his brother and plus Jeongin was out of cup ramen. Besides, they had actually talked it through last month. Chan seemed to realize Hyunjin’s motives and actually agreed that Jeongin better get together with Felix or else. After that, things returned mostly to normal, but Jeongin silently made note of Chan’s words that he should work on becoming more independent. That wasn’t all that hard considering the fact that school had him studying 24/7 giving him barely any time to see Felix. His professor assigned a whole book for the break but Jeongin decided to put it off, desperately needing to relax. Lounging at Chan’s place was the closest thing to home so naturally Jeongin ended up in front of his door. He wasn’t expecting his hyung to show up at the dorm with a “the world is ending” expression just a little later.

“Jeooonginnn!” Jisung groans. “He likes Hyunjin!” At the same time, Jeongin’s phone buzzes and he checks it. _It’s probably more interesting than what Jisung-hyung has to say anyway_. It’s Hyunjin.

“hey jeongin. hows your break going?” Ughh. It was kind of annoying to keep getting these kinds of texts from him. Jeongin rolls his eyes and types a response. Jisung continues to whine. “Jeongin? Are you listening to me? Why Hyunjin? Why does he like him anyway?”

After sending a quick “its going good so far” to Hyunjin, Jeongin looks up deciding to go along with Jisung’s mini-rant. “Who are you talking about, hyung?”

“Minho-hyung!” Jisung says as if it’s obvious. _I mean, they are dating, _Jeongin wants to say but holds his tongue. Chan decides to come into the room at that moment.

“You’re still on to that, Jisung? It’s been almost four months already!” Jisung curls up and Chan sighs. “Come here and we can work on this new rap together.”

_Poor hyung_, Jeongin thinks (almost) sarcastically and his phone buzzes again.

“minhos busy later today. wanna hang out with me instead?”

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin is everyone's problem.


	5. Spring (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some misunderstandings STILL don't go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Here is the second to last chapter finally! This chapter has not been proof-read, sooo...

_“I hurt you with words that weren’t what I meant. I push you away knowing I’m going to regret it.” Lie Again - Seventeen _

**Changbin**

Changbin never knew the day would come when Felix would ask him out first. Although he knew _something_ was out of place, it still sent a small flutter off in his heart.

It was the first of April when the sudden text woke Changbin from a deep three-hour sleep. He had barely gotten any rest the previous days from the constant composing his class required. To get rudely waken at 10 a.m. on a Saturday was something Changbin wouldn’t stand for. Unless it was Felix. God, he was too soft for that boy.

The text reads, “hey hyung. u free at 11? sorry this is so sudden. text me back when you get this”.

Changbin thinks his sore eyes finally died on him. He keeps rereading the text, not wanting to get his hopes up. _Nope, completely real_, he finally forces himself to think. His fingers hesitate over the keyboard as he tries to think of the most casual way to respond.

“sure, where do you want to meet?”

With that, he jumps up out of bed, heading straight to his messy, unorganized closet. Digging through the clothes, he pulls out a fashionable plaid jacket and a pair of new ripped jeans. _Need to look presentable_, he thinks. _Like it’s a first date._

Before heading to the bathroom, he makes a detour to the kitchen and quickly downs an Aspirin to soothe his headache. As he enters the bathroom, he glances at the mirror and scowls.

_Looks like I’m gonna need a crap-ton of concealer, _he thinks as his headache gets worse.

~

**Jisung**

Hyunjin had not been “staying away from Minho”. If anything, they were still as close as ever, and it really did irritate Jisung. It was spring already! Why hadn’t they broken up yet???

When he sees them together on Saturday, a miraculous homework-free day, he sighs and is about to turn around when someone else catches his eye. _Jeongin?_

He walks closer, curiously. By the look of it, it seems they just ran into each other.

“It’s been a while hasn’t it, hyung?” Jeongin says to Minho, nodding politely. “Same to you, Hyunjin-hyung. I know you’ve been trying really hard to get me to hang out lately but I’ve just been too busy with schoolwork and stuff…” Jisung sees a fond smile take over his face. _Weird child_, he thinks. _Who smiles when thinking about homework?_

Minho doesn’t even bat an eye at the comment, choosing instead to focus on the ground. _Does he know_, Jisung wonders, _that Hyunjin has a thing for Jeongin?_

Hyunjin looks like he wants to say something, eyes flitting cautiously between Minho and Jeongin.

“Jeongi-”

“You guys must be out on a date? Don’t let me get in your way,” Jeongin continues obliviously. Jisung can’t hear a single bit of jealousy laced in his voice. “I’ll see you around, hyungs!” He begins to walk off, a quick bow thrown in Minho’s direction.

“W-wait, Jeongin!” Hyunjin finally speaks, catching Jeongin’s arm. He turns around quickly. “See you later, Minho? I need to talk with Jeongin.” Without even waiting for a nod, he ushers Jeongin away leaving Minho like an abandoned puppy. It breaks Jisung’s heart.

He slowly walks over.

“Are you okay, hyung?”

Minho doesn’t even seem surprised anymore. “No,” he says, coldly. “I was just left by my boyfriend for some other guy.”

Jisung hates that Minho calls that douche bag his “boyfriend” but chooses not to say anything. He stands around awkwardly, hands shoved in his pockets. When Minho doesn’t move to leave, he gains a bit of confidence. Slowly, he moves forward to pat him on the shoulder.

“… Wanna go get some cheesecake?” he offers. When Minho doesn’t respond, his confidence drains. “I-I mean if you want? I know a really good restaurant down the street,” he rambles. “They sell all kinds of cheesecake, you name it. Strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, chocolate-” He’s about to curl up and die from embarrassment when he sees Minho’s pretty lips quirk into a tiny smile.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what you want to eat,” he replies teasingly.

“Wha- hey!” Jisung’s cheeks flush.

“I’ll go. Lead the way, Mr. Cheesecake Connoisseur.”

~

**Felix**

Felix was beyond nervous. Not only had he texted Changbin randomly for a meet-up at a nearby café, he realized Changbin probably thought that it was a date or something.

_Sorry hyung_, he clasps his clammy hands in his lap, staring at the cold cup of coffee in front of him. He needed to know something, and if he was right, he needed it to stop. It would be for the best.

On cue, the door chimes and he looks up to see Changbin, glancing around nervously.

“Over here, hyung,” Felix manages to say before his voice begins to shake. _Just ask_, he repeats in his head.

Changbin sees him and makes his way over, smiling hesitantly. “What’s up?” he asks, sliding into the booth. “Why a _meet-up_ so suddenly?” He emphasizes a “meet-up” rather than a date. _He must know something’s up_, Felix worries. He shakes it off and looks at his hyung confidently.

“I needed to ask you something in person.”

“May I take your order?” The waitress suddenly cuts him off, startling him. She waits expectantly for Changbin, who’s still staring at Felix.

“Oh, yes!” He finally snaps his gaze away to order. “Just a small iced Americano please.” The waitress leaves and the two of them are left in silence.

“So-”

“You-”

They both start at the same time and awkwardly laugh it off. “You first,” Felix concedes.

“You don’t have to force yourself to say anything yet,” Changbin says and Felix lowers his head guiltily. “You do seem a bit nervous.”

He bites his lip and nods. They stay in silence, Changbin picking absently at his nails, Felix collecting his thoughts and nerves.

“Hyung.” Changbin looks up.

“Do you like me?”

Changbin opens his mouth to speak but Felix starts to ramble. “I-I mean like love-like. Like romantically. Oh, but if you don’t, well, then that’s my ba-”

“Am I that obvious?” Changbin looks at him, expression unreadable. “Even Hyunjin could tell.”

Now Felix looks surprised. “So, you do…” He sits up in his seat. Changbin can see that his hands are shaking and he wants to reach out and hold them.

“I need to tell you that-”

Changbin knows what this is about. He had known, and just hadn’t chosen to confront it head on.

“You like Jeongin and can’t return my feelings. I understand.”

Felix flinches but nods. He takes a deep breath and continues. “I just thought it was better to let you know rather than giving you false hope. I’m sorry, hyung.”

_Felix is such a good kid_, Changbin thinks. _Jeongin is lucky._

“Felix, I like you. But, I respect you more as a friend.”

Felix nods again and they leave it at that.

~

**Minho**

_Every time I’m with Hyunjin, you always seem to show up. Why are you making it so hard to get over you?_ Minho thinks as he’s dragged down the street by a very excited Jisung.

Once they’re situated in the cozy restaurant, various cheesecakes scattered around the table, he gets a good look at the boy across from him. Jisung’s stuffing his cheeks with cake without a break in between and Minho, chin propped up on his hand, gazes at him warmly.

_I could watch him all day_, Minho thinks absentmindedly. He suddenly jolts upright and shakes his head. _That’s really weird_, Minho realizes and readjusts himself so he’s sitting up properly. His ears tint a light shade of pink as he reaches out to dust a crumb off the other boy’s cheek, eyes missing the boy’s jaw drop.

-

They’re finally outside when Jisung stops Minho from leaving. “Minho, I-I was thinking of confessing to someone actually, but they might say no.” Jisung looks at him hesitantly.

Minho’s heart twists. All of this nonsense and he still can’t get over him. _It’s pathetic, _he thinks, _that I can’t even be happy for Jisung to like someone else._ _This is what I get for dating someone else. I should try to be happy for him._

“Good luck on your confession,” Minho says, trying to act nonchalantly. He hopes his voice doesn’t sound too shaky. “Don’t think like that. They can’t be blind enough to reject a confession from someone like you, if you know what I mean. You’re a really nice guy, Jisung.” He turns to leave. “Thanks for cheering me up, by the way.”

“Minho, I-”

“Minho!” Hyunjin comes running up from behind. “There you are. I'm sorry I left so suddenly. You weren’t answering your phone. Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything,” he says, not sounding sorry at all.

“You weren’t,” Minho mumbles. “See you around, Jisung,” he says as he’s pulled away by Hyunjin.

_I’m tired of hearing that phrase_, Jisung thinks, staring at the back of the two figures. _Why can’t you just stay with me?_

~

**Jeongin**

Jeongin’s original destination was Felix’s dorm, after picking up a few donuts of course. The plan had made Jeongin so giddy he ended up leaving his room an hour earlier than planned. He proceeded to aimlessly wander around off campus until he ran into his hyungs.

Jeongin had seen Hyunjin a lot the past year, he couldn’t deny it. Most of those times, Hyunjin never mentioned Minho so he’d almost forgotten they were dating. Although he appreciated the times Hyunjin tried to get him out of the dorm, he felt like he was getting between the two of them. So after a quick greeting, he planned to leave the two of them alone. What he wasn’t expecting was for Hyunjin to follow him.

“W-wait, Jeongin!” Hyunjin calls after him. “I need to talk to you!”

Jeongin’s arm is pulled harshly and he stumbles to keep up with Hyunjin. Turning the corner, Jeongin manages to break away from Hyunjin’s grasp. “Hyung? What’s wrong? Why did you just leave Minho-hyung there?”

Hyunjin proceeds to place his hands on Jeongin’s shoulders, staring into his eyes much to Jeongin’s discomfort.

“I don’t get it.”

Jeongin flinches away, eyebrows creased. “What don’t you get?”

“Why you don’t fall for me!”

What.

Jeongin’s mind was a jumble. “What are you talking about, hyung?!” He exclaims appalled. “You have a boyfriend!”

“I would break up with him for you.”

Jeongin’s still in shock. “Hyung, what’s wrong with you? Why would you even think of doing that?!” Hyunjin looks dead serious and Jeongin is dismayed.

He takes a breath and although he’s still very confused, gathers his confidence. “I-I don’t like you like that, if that’s what you’re asking. You should know I like Felix. I’m sorry, hyung.” Jeongin turns away. “And you should apologize to Minho-hyung.”

He walks away from the other boy, questions still dominating his mind.

_This wasn’t supposed to happen!_

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of rushed! I really just want to finish this story. My motivation has left me in the same way Woojin left T_T. With the pressure of school (I gained so many stress pimples already) I finally told myself to "just get this done already!" Sorry to those who are disappointed!


	6. Spring (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally come to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Woo!

_“Continue smiling by my side just like this moment. Longer than tomorrow, farther than eternity, I love you.” Neverending Story – Stray Kids_

**Felix**

When Jeongin enters the dorm, Felix automatically notices something is wrong. _It’s our special bond_, Felix used to say even though Chan _insisted_ that Jeongin was just easy to read.

Silently, Jeongin flops down on the couch, head in Felix’s lap, not even bothering to remove his coat. Felix mutes the TV, staring down into creased, conflicted eyes.

“Jeongin, what’s wrong?”

When Jeongin doesn’t respond right away, Felix lets him collect his thoughts. He’s reaching for the remote when Jeongin suddenly speaks.

“Hyung, do you know what it feels like to be in love?”

Well that was random.

“What brought that on?” Felix asks, curiously. _Is this what’s made him so concerned? _

“Just answer the question!” Jeongin whines, curling up with his face in Felix’s stomach. Felix decides to go along with wherever this was going.

“W-well. I mean of course I have. We’re already in college.”

_The love of my life is right in front of me_, Felix adds in his head, playing with Jeongin’s hair.

“I-I think I like someone. Have for a while actually.”

Felix’s breath catches in his throat. _This_, he was not expecting.

Jeongin sits up, a sign that he’s pretty serious.

“… Is it Hyunjin?” he asks weakly.

“What?! No! I’ve known him for way longer than that!”

Felix tries again.

“… Seungmin?”

“Eww, no way! Why would you even mention him?!”

Jeongin makes a disgusted face that Felix can’t help but snicker at.

His voice softens. “I’ve known him even longer than that.”

Felix runs through a list of their friends in his head. At a sudden thought he grows panicked. “I-is it forbidden love? _Chan?!_”

Jeongin almost chokes.

“My brother?! No! Noooo way! Felix, this isn’t some incest manga. Geez!”

Their laughter quiets down and they sit there chuckling to themselves.

“Is it-”

“It’s you.”

Jeongin looks at Felix. “I-I think for a long time it’s always been you.”

“I left you and Chan,” Felix states.

“I know,” Jeongin replies with certainty, “but you’ve also made up the time you were gone. Of course I still haven’t completely forgiven you!”

Felix looks down guiltily.

“I had a lot of things to tell you! I bet you never even checked your phone! I sent you sooooo many messages!” Jeongin continues. “That’s why I’m telling you this now. So you can stay with me until I’m not mad anymore.”

“…Then you’ll leave me when you’re not mad?” Felix asks.

“What?!” Jeongin jumps off the couch. “Felix, I’d never! I’ll always stay mad at you so that you’ll never leave!” He pauses. “Wait.”

Felix can see the gears turning in Jeongin’s head as he replays what he said and cracks a grin.

“Jeongin, you know it’s not good to hold grudges.”

“T-that’s not what I meant and you know that!”

“I know.” Felix tugs Jeongin into his lap, hugging him tightly. “I’m really sorry I left. It won’t ever happen again.”

They stay in the embrace, watching the TV program play with no sound.

“…Can I kiss you?” Jeongin asks quietly. “And no, that was not from a movie,” he adds teasingly.

Felix rolls his eyes but leans forward, smiling, to meet Jeongin’s lips.

~

**Hyunjin**

The news hits Hyunjin like a storm. Word of relationships always spread like wildfire across the campus. Besides Chan and Woojin’s open relationship, gay couples weren’t exactly normal. At first, Hyunjin’s shocked, then depressed, then ultimately irritated. He decides to go nag Changbin about it after his last class ends.

“Hyung, are they really dating?” He asks as Changbin continues to type away at his computer.

“Why are you so caught up about it?” Changbin retorts, regretting opening the door for the boy.

“Aren’t you disappointed, hyung?”  
“No. If Felix is happy then so am I.”

“Seriously?” Hyunjin groans. “You sound like a forgotten character of a romance anime. You lost your love to another. Be real. You’re disappointed.”

“So I am!” Changbin shouts, finally turning to look at Hyunjin. “But at least I’m trying to move on! At least I don’t have my head stuck so far up my ass that I can’t accept reality!” Hyunjin’s at a loss for words.

“That’s what you do when you love someone, Hyunjin. You are happy for their happiness. So, tell me, do you truly love Jeongin?”

-

Hyunjin walks back to his room from Changbin’s later in the evening, deep in thought. His initial anger and frustration faded, leaving Changbin’s words resonating in his head.

“What does it mean to love somebody?” he wonders out loud when someone catches his eye.

It’s Minho, walking to his Monday evening class.

Before leaving the dorm, Changbin mentioned something to Hyunjin. “You’d better say sorry to Minho-hyung. He didn’t deserve to be caught up in your stupid schemes. You know better than to let this drag on, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin walks up to Minho, ready to settle this once and for all.

“Minho-hyung,” Minho turns to look at him, “I’m sorry.” Hyunjin goes into full apology mode, bowing at exactly 90 degrees, facing the ground.

“I know a simple sorry doesn’t cover everything I did, but I am.”

He’s not even sure if Minho’s still there. It was fine if he wasn’t.

“I-I know people don’t change this quickly, but I want to try. I talked to Changbin-hyung about this whole thing, and he told me that I didn’t know how to love the right way. Although I still don’t understand genuine love, I will attempt to. Minho-hyung, I’m sorry I used you. I’m sorry I took you away from your love.”

He looks up and sees Minho’s lips pulled into a bittersweet smile.

_At least he heard me out._ Hyunjin’s shoulders sag with relief but he’s not done.

“I wanted to apologize to Jisung as well. I’ve always had a mutual hate for him, and although that probably won’t change after this, I also caused him a lot more pain than he deserved. I thought I should tell you since the two of you are bound to end up together.”

Minho’s eyes grow sadder at the mention of Jisung but he doesn’t say anything about it.

“…You know, I’m still your hyung right? I should’ve handled this differently. I’m sorry we ended up like this, Hyunjin. I wish things could’ve been different from the start. Thank you for telling me.”

Something inside Hyunjin cracks hearing Minho sound so understanding even after everything. A stream of tears rush down his face.

“H-hyung, d-don’t say you’re sorry. I-it’s not your f-fault.” Hyunjin hurriedly tries to wipe the tears away but Minho wraps his arms around him, causing more to fall.

_Maybe I did like him after all,_ Hyunjin thinks. _Now I know how Minho-hyung feels, to like someone who’s too good for you. But, in this case, hyung is wrong. I was the one who told him he’s not good enough. _

At this thought, Hyunjin pulls away. “Hyung, you need to talk to Jisung. Please, clear things up with him.”

At the mention of Jisung again, Minho avoids eye contact. “I don’t know. Maybe things are better like this.”

He begins to walk away before Hyunjin can speak. “Hyunjin, I really hope you find love. If you ever need an ear, I’m here for you.”

Hyunjin is left with regret, regret, regret. _I’m sorry Jisung, but please save him._

~

**Minho**

“Hyung.”

Jisung is waiting for Minho in front of his classroom a few days after his conversation with Hyunjin. Everyone’s eyes seem to be drawn towards the two of them, watching, judging.

_Why does Jisung want to talk to me now?_ Minho thinks. _Did Hyunjin say something to him?_

Noticing his discomfort, Jisung grabs his wrist tugging him gently away from the classroom door. Minho lets him, tired of running away from the adorable, persistent, boy. They end up around the corner, in a deserted hallway away from prying eyes. It’s dark, dimly-lit, and Minho doesn’t have to worry about Jisung seeing his unattractive self.

“Is this better?” Jisung asks, soft smile adorning his face.

_It’s not fair_, Minho thinks. _That someone can be so perfect._

“Excuse me?” Jisung tilts his head, confused.

Shit. He’d said that out loud.

“Oh,” Minho looks down, hoping the darkness would cover up the red making its way across his cheeks. “It’s nothing. What did you want to talk about?”

Jisung moves closer without hesitation, clasping his hands around Minho’s firmly. Minho makes an effort not to flinch away.

“Hyung, talk to me.” Minho glances up to see warm, chestnut eyes looking into his own. The sincerity behind the look makes Minho want to cry. He sighs.

“Jisung, it’s not fair how you’re so beautiful and talented, and how I’m not, and how I’m in love with you, and how awful I am for seeing your kindness as something more. I try so hard to forget about you ‘cause I know we’ll never work. We’re from opposite ends of the world. I can’t even compare to you. You’re just too good for me.”

Jisung stays quiet, but his eyes show that he has something to say.

“You saw the way everyone was looking at us. Like, ‘why is Jisung even talking to him?’ They can’t even imagine the two of us talking. Why do you try to talk to me?”

Minho wants to say more but Jisung cuts him off.

“Minho…” Jisung starts slowly, “what you’re saying right now is wrong in so many ways. But I want to help you change what you think. I don’t know if it was Hyunjin who told you that, or yourself, but how could whoever it was be so blind as to not notice I’m chasing after you?”

Jisung removes his hands from Minho’s wrists, reaching up to cup his cheeks. He brings Minho’s forehead to rest on his own.

“You _are_ beautiful. The most beautiful person I’ve seen, inside and out. That’s why I fell for you. The people looking at us are probably just jealous that I’m brave enough to talk to someone as pretty as you.”

Minho can’t help but blush as he looks deeply into Jisung’s eyes. The sound of the professor’s loud voice from Minho’s classroom jolts him out of a daze.

Jisung turns away, embarrassed, but Minho reaches out, pulling him into a quick embrace. He feels Jisung freeze up and Minho wonders if he did something wrong.

But then he feels reassuring arms wrapped around him and relaxes.

He’s about to release Jisung when something finally clicks in his brain.

_Jisung likes me! Me! Of all people, Jisung likes me!_

A wave of boldness comes over Minho as he finally comprehends their conversation. He leans forward, gently pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.

He finally pulls away from a frozen Jisung. His squirrel cheeks gain a bit of color and Minho takes that as a good sign.

It’s already way past the beginning of class and Minho really has to go.

“I’ve got to get back to class now. I’ll see you around, Jisung?” Jisung nods slowly, still in shock.

“I’ll see you around.” Those words have a different meaning for them now. One that makes Minho’s insides flutter with happiness.

~

**Seungmin**

“Jeongin, you’re looking pretty happy for someone about to take their finals,” Seungmin notes in class on Tuesday, having missed the day prior. Finals were next week and knowing Jeongin, he would’ve been running on his fifth RedBull and two hours of sleep.

Instead, here he was in class, lively and wide-awake. Well, wide-awake, but not paying any attention to the lecture that was happening. “Finally got yourself a Felix?”

Jeongin just nods, sighing happily. Seungmin does a double-take.

“…Wait, seriously?!” The people next to them shush him and Seungmin recollects himself. “All this drama happens while I visit my parents over the weekend?” Seungmin shakes his head. “I knew going home wasn’t a good idea. What else did I miss?”

Seungmin should’ve seen it coming. He spends the majority of class listening to Jeongin fanboy about how Felix was such great boyfriend material and all the boyfriend-like things they did over the weekend.

It was all things that the two of them had done before, just with a lot more hugs and kisses, Seungmin wants to say but for once, decides to keep the comment to himself.

“So, then how’s studying for finals?”

“Finals?” Jeongin asks. “When were those again?”

~

**Chan**

Chan notices a change in Jeongin’s behavior. Well, a lot more than that actually. There’s less tension in the air when he visits Changbin’s dorm with Jisung to work on a song. Changbin seems less conflicted, almost free of anything that was gnawing at him before. Jisung, _Jisung_ now, was finally focusing on making music instead of complaining about Hyunjin. Chan reasoned that it had must’ve had to do something with Minho. He ends up confronting Jisung about it before he heads home.

“Jisung, did something happen between you and Minho?” he asks hesitantly when Jisung’s phone rings. Jisung reads the caller ID, eyes lighting up immediately. He quickly taps the “pick up” button, forgetting Chan is right in front of him.

“Hyungie!!! You’re done with classes? Yeah! I’ll meet you there! Love you!” Jisung hangs up, smiling giddily at his phone.

Well, there was his answer.

“Sorry, Chan-hyung. What did you ask?” Jisung refocuses his attention on Chan again.

Chan just shakes his head, amused. “It’s nothing, Jisung.”

He pats his head, walking past a confused Jisung and knowing Changbin. Shrugging on his light jacket, he turns around to face his teammates.

“See you guys tomorrow, yeah?”

It’s like all the misunderstandings have been miraculously cleared up, Chan thinks, in the span of less than a week.

It takes a lot of weight off Chan’s chest knowing that his friends’ problems have been resolved. This was how he wanted to graduate, with little to no regrets, smiling faces, and Woojin right by his side.

-

He enters his dorm to see Jeongin, Felix, and Woojin all huddled around the coffee table, papers scattered on the floor.

“Chan-hyung!” Felix looks up, noticing him at the door. “There’s an emergency! Innie hasn’t even been studying for finals and they’re next week!”

“Oh? Jeonginnie hasn’t been studying?” Chan cocks an eyebrow suspiciously, setting his bag down.

“I wonder who’s fault that is…” Jeongin mutters.

“Yeah, I wonder,” Felix fakes an innocent look. Woojin just looks on, amusingly.

“Hyung, help me!!!” Jeongin throws himself at Chan. “Felix is being too distracting!”

“Wha- hey!” Felix runs over to the both of them, hanging off of Jeongin. “You asked for my help!”

“I asked for help! Not a distraction!” Jeongin retorts.

“Woojin,” Chan grunts. “Could you at least help me?” Woojin shakes his head with a soft smile, chuckling.

“You’re on your own this time!”

_It’s back to normal_, Chan thinks. _We’re back to normal._

“Let’s sit down and work through the problems, okay?” he coaxes Jeongin off him. “We still have time.”

It’s when he joins them around the messy coffee table, surrounded by papers, pillows, and the three people he cherishes most, that he’s finally happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, finally finished! Could've spent more time on it if I tried, but midterms are coming up and I need to focus on studying (unlike Jeongin)!   
For a first fanfic, I literally had no expectations on how this was going to turn out. Although my writing kinda changed halfway through the story, I gained some writing stamina. Kudos to me!  
To readers, thanks for reading this chaotic disaster of a fanfic!


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